This is It
by hihihihi
Summary: This year Hogwarts depends on someone other than Harry. Hermione has to bring together everything she knows to beat the worst Witches and Wizards ever.
1. Different

I looked out the window of the Hogsmeade Express just has we exited the train station, it was a beautiful September day, not a cloud in sight. It was so pretty, the sounds of Harry and Ron bickering about who gets the last chocolate frog drained away from me. I just looked out the window and sighed. I don't know exactly how long I was looking out, all I knew is that I wasn't very happy when Harry tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hermione! Are you still alive in there? You haven't said a word all trip!" he gave me an awkward look and sat back in his seat.

"I'm fine, just fine. I was just looking out the window since it's such a nice day." I grumbled and got back into the comfortable position I was just in.

"What's with girl's obsessions with the sky and stuff?" Ron shoved a handful of Bertie Botts in his mouth after making sure no grass or vomit ones had made it out of the box. "I mean, it's always going to be there."

I sighed and looked over at him, "It's just pretty, and it clears your minds." I pulled my school clothes out of the trunk and stood up. "Now, I'm going to go get ready, and if I were you, I'd get ready too." I hurried out into an empty compartment and changed and walked back to the boys.

"Boy, you're getting faster at that each year Hermione." Ron said as I walked in and grabbed my stuff just as the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station.

"That's because each year I have less and less time to get ready, Ron." I spun around in just the right amount of time to ram into Malfoy and fall flat on my trunk.

"Nice going there Granger." Malfoy sneered as him and his normal goons rushed on out of the train.

"What a wonderful way to start a new year here at Hogwarts." I sighed and got myself back together and looked back to Ron and Harry, who I could tell were about to die from holding in their laughter. "Oh, you two need to grow up. Sixth years are expected to have a certain sense of maturity, which I see are both or your weaknesses." I huffed and walked out of the train and stood in an empty path of ground and waited for them to catch up and start our not so boring school year.


	2. Alone

After the normal welcome ceremony in the Great Hall I leaded the next generation of Hogwarts students to the dorm, told them the pass and watched them all go inside. I couldn't help but remember my first year at Hogwarts, I remember thinking that this was the coolest thing. No idea would I think I'd be helping Harry Potter defeat the Dark Lord, numerous times. I sighed and walked around the castle and out into the grounds.

"Hey! Hermione!" It was Ginny, I really didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. But I didn't want to seem rude.

"Hey Ginny." I smiled and waited for her to catch up to me. 

"How was your summer? Ron said that neither him nor Harry heard from you." She put her hands in her pockets and looks at me. I could tell she'd grown up a bit over the summer, quite a few of her freckles had disappeared.

"Oh, yeah, I stayed at my aunts most of the summer and she gets a little freaked out about the whole 'witches and wizards' thing." I sat down on one of the stone benches and Ginny looked around a bit.

"I have to go get a few things before classes start, I'll talk to you later, okay?" She didn't even wait for my reply before she ran off. I sighed and leaned back a little.

Just then I saw Malfoy out of the corner of my eye, he was holding something small, looked like a locket when I focused more at him. He didn't look like he normally does when I see him, he looked sort of depressed, never had I seen a Malfoy look anything but snobby. Then, he spotted me looking at him and shoved the locket into his pocket and got that Malfoy sneer back on his face and walked over.

"What were you staring at, Granger?" I could still tell he was thinking about whatever was in that locket.

"You looked like you were about to cry, Draco. How could I not stare?" I looked up at him and he got that same, depressed, look on his face. Then a second later that face turned into sheer fear, and he just stood there. 

"Draco, are you ok? Draco! Say something!" I stood up and turned around to see what he was staring at and shrieked.


	3. No Turning Back

A/N : Sorry the chapters haven't been to long, I really didn't know what to write about. Now I have a pretty good story line to follow, so this one should be longer. J I hope you all enjoy it and I looove reviews. J 

I fell to my knees, praying that I wasn't truly seeing what my eyes were showing. Draco lifted me to my feet and supported me, I could tell he was just as shaken from it as I. I turned to him and, in the most pleading voice I had said, "This is just a dream, right? I'm going to wake up, and this won't be happening." By this time I was crying, I looked back over to where Draco was staring and I saw it was true, and this wasn't a dream. Hogwarts was burning down. Well, a portion of it was on fire.

Just then a group of girls came screaming past yelling something that sounded like "No one can stop it!"

I shook my head and pushed away from Draco, "What do you think they're talking about." I stared at Draco's fear ridden face and the sweat pouring down his normally cool face.

"It's happening.." his voice was so apathetic it was more frightening then the fire itself.

"What do you mean 'It's happening'?! The school is on fire! Did you know this was going to happen?" I tried my best to keep from crying again when he snapped out of his daze and looked at me.

"The fire looks like it's moving quickly, it's only time before it reaches," he gulped and looked down at me, "your dorm." 

With the sound of those words I fell to the ground again only to pick myself right back up and run towards the front of the castle. As I ran I could hear Draco's voice faintly yelling to me in the background, but I didn't care. All I cared about was getting to the Great Hall and seeing Harry and Ron, and Ginny too. I could just see our reunion, us hugging and laughing and hugging some more. I started crying again.

I stopped just outside the front doors, I was shaking and soaked with sweat, but I didn't care, I just wanted to know that my friends were ok. Then I saw Ginny. I ran up to her and wrapped my arms around her, she asked me if I was alright and handed me a glass of water. I drank it quickly, smiled at her and she smiled back. She could tell what I wanted.

"No one has seen Harry or Ron, and they aren't letting kids inside the building, to much smoke they say." She gave me a sympathetic look. "I wouldn't go in there anyway, I mean, the fire can't be put out by magic, some weird type of spell they say."

I stared at her for a bit, then I dropped the glass into the grass, "I need to find them, they've been my best friends for 5 years, and they've saved me from some of the most horrid things I could imagine. It's the least I can do Ginny." I hugged her tightly one more time and sighed. Not knowing that I wouldn't see her again for the next few weeks.

I ran into the castle. Smoke filled my lungs as soon as I opened the door. I coughed a bit and a few ghosts ordered me to leave. But I just stared at them and they sighed and let me pass. 

I ran to the main staircase, I could see the glow of the flames at the top, I pulled my wand out of my pocket and a handkerchief from the other then covered my mouth with it. I closed my eyes, prayed for my life, and jumped into the flames.

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Heh, I hope you all will enjoy this story line I have planned out, I'll try to update it two or three times a month, but bear with me here. 

Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome, keeping in mind that this is my first actual story I've written. J 


	4. Burn

I ran for a bit, I did. But soon the intense heat and smoke got to me. I lay in a doorway watching the fire for a bit, the mess of oranges and reds with some yellow thrown in there. Soon I found my mind start to wonder off into the past. Back last year, when I first found out that Ron had a crush on me, since then our relationship flourished. We'd meet in the common room after school hours and just sit and talk, we never really got to romantic. Just then I fell asleep.

I slept for who knows how long, all I know is when I woke up there were two dark figures standing in front of the flames. I rubbed my eyes a bit and sat up, trying to see exactly who it was. Just then Ginny bent down in front of me and rubbed my shoulder.

"We're here to help." She smiled and pointed at the other dark figure, it stepped forward a little and standing there was Draco Malfoy.

I sat there just staring at him and then I said, "You're going to help me find Harry and Ron?" he nodded and sat down on the adjacent wall.

"I don't like to admit this, but Potter's saved my butt a few times in the past, he's saved us all. It's the least I can do.." he leaned his head back against the wall and looked over at me from the corner of his eye. That's when I saw just how all these girls can like him at first glance. He was rather attractive, even after running through hundreds of flames. His normally bright blonde hair had faded to a dirty blonde full of ashes. His face had a few burns, but he was still rather attractive. I tried not to think of the complete jerk he can be. 

I smiled a little, and I guess he noticed and gave me a look, I shook my head, "I'm just glad you're here to help, your muscles might come in handy down the road." I gave him a faint smile and he nodded as he turned his head to look back at the flames.

"Are you sure that Harry and Ron are in the Gryffindor common room?" Ginny's voice made me jump and I quickly turned to look at her.

"I'm almost positive, they normally go there right after the opening feast in the Great Hall and unpack their things." I sighed and stood up, I don't know why I had been stalling so long. 

Ginny stood and then Draco did, I closed my eyes and jumped back into the fire. At first this burning sensation and I just stood there and then my body became numb to the heat and Draco pulled me into his stomach, and out of a flame.

"Hermione, you need to be careful. Don't steep directly into a flame like that, it won't be good." He let me go and jumped over a fallen beam.

Ginny wrapped her arm around me shoulders and smiled at me then grabbed my hand and we followed.

"Who do you think caused this fire?" Ginny asked both of us.

I shrugged, "Most likely the Dark Lord himself, I mean, who else would have reason."

"You really think he's that strong to set Hogwarts on fire?" Ginny looked back at me and gave me a questioning look.

Just then Draco chimed in, "Not alone, I'm sure he has some sort of help with him. Who knows who it is though. Most likely someone we aren't expecting.."

"Wow Draco, how do you know all this?" Ginny was acting like some little school girl, I didn't know how her voice could be so happy at this time.

"Do you not know who my father is?" Draco rolled his eyes.

"I just, oh never mind." Ginny finally gave up and we were just walking in silence.

I watched the floor, kids, all over the place, burned and dead. Normally this would freak me out, but I was just looking, hoping, that I wouldn't see Ron and Harry's faces among the poor souls in this hallway. I couldn't really tell who any of the kids were, but then again, I didn't know anyone so that would make it harder to tell.

Ginny was trying not to look down at them, but every so often I saw her steal a glance, every time her face was the same. In sheer horror, or pure disgust. Draco just walked past the bodies like it was nothing, I guess it was his Malfoy instinct to not care.

We got to the moving staircases, none were moving. We just thought that the fire had stopped them, I walked up next to Draco and looked at him and he looked back and wrapped his arm around my shoulder and rubbed it. "This is going to be a fun one." I just nodded and looked at the motionless staircases, just then, one fell. 


End file.
